George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery Trials to Be Aired in U.K. via Court TV Launch on Sky
Court TV, the channel that covers U.S. criminal trials, has launched in the U.K. on Comcast’s Sky network, with more distribution deals expected soon.
One of Court TV’s most high-profile cases in the coming months will focus on the four Minneapolis police officers who will be tried in the death of George Floyd, which launched a national movement on race in America. Another case coming up on Court TV centers on three white men accused of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was shot while jogging through a south Georgia neighborhood.
Court TV’s U.K. channel will provide viewers access to, and analysis of, true-life courtroom dramas taking place in the U.S. today, from opening proceedings all the way through to the verdict. Daytime trial coverage in the U.S. will air in primetime in the U.K. given the time difference. For U.K. audiences, Court TV is planning content that will set out to explain the differences between the two country’s justice systems, including why cameras are allowed in courtrooms in the U.S. but not in the U.K.
“There’s been nothing like Court TV in the United Kingdom until now,” said Jonathan Katz, president and CEO of Katz Networks, part of The E.W. Scripps Company, which owns Court TV. “American crime dramas have long been a staple on television worldwide, including the U.K., while global consumer interest in the real-life drama of true-crime programming has skyrocketed, with American reality crime content as the most-watched. Court TV is the only network covering these cases and these events live, as they happen, from start to finish. We anticipate viewers in the U.K. will embrace having a front-row seat to American criminal justice.”
The U.K. launch of Court TV coincides with the 25th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson murder trial verdict, and in October, the channel will present a marathon of its 25-episode original docuseries “OJ25.”
Court TV will also air the newest original Court TV series “Judgment With Ashleigh Banfield,” a weekly show that takes viewers on a deep dive into the most talked-about trials and cases of all-time.
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